The Bay of Bengal is emerging as an important focal point for climate security risks, according to a new report by the Planetary Security Initiative (PSI) and the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS). The region is home to a quarter of the world’s population and is at the mouth of  a critical global choke point, the Malacca Strait. Climate change in the Bay of Bengal unfolds against a background of contestations in the broader Indian Ocean Region—such as intensifying competition between India, China, and extra-regional powers like the US, Japan, Australia, and the EU and its member states. These contestations occur with a simultaneous rise in emphasis on the Indo-Pacific.

In this public online event we will launch a new report and discuss the report’s key findings and its policy implications. The research is part of a long-term collaborative project on climate security in Southern Asia between the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael’s PSI and IPCS, one of India’s oldest independent think-tanks. A key report finding is that the Bay of Bengal is not only extremely vulnerable to climate change, but also to security risks related to climate impacts, such as sea level rise, heat waves, and storm surges. The region is also at escalated risk of instability. Since climate change poses a common threat, it also creates avenues for dialogue and cooperation—exploring such insights may well provide opportunities to better manage geopolitical friction.

During the event, there will be opportunity to participate through polls and questions.

Programme

Opening Remarks

• Louise van Schaik, Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs Unit and climate-security expert at the Clingendael Institute
• Ruhee Neog, Director, IPCS, & Research Fellow, Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School

Roundtable with the authors: Climate Security in the Bay of Bengal

• Angshuman Choudhury, Senior Researcher, & Coordinator at the South East Asia Research Programme (SEARP), IPCS
• Siddharth Anil Nair, Researcher, SEARP, IPCS
• Ashutosh Nagda, Researcher, SEARP, IPCS
• Garima Maheshwari, Visiting Fellow, IPCS
• Moderator: Louise van Schaik.

Panel Discussion: Implications for Regional Stability and International Relations

• H.E. Manjeev Singh Puri, Former Ambassador of India to the EU,  Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative to UN, lead Climate Change negotiator, and  Distinguished Fellow at the Energy and Resources Institute
• H.E. Riaz Hamidullah, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Netherlands, former Director-General Multilateral Economic Affairs covering sustainable development, climate change, water and blue economy
• Mely Caballero-Anthony, Professor of International Relations and Head, Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
• Florian Krampe, Director Climate Change and Risk Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Sweden
• Moderator: Ruhee Neog